AWOL
by Hitomi Hyuga
Summary: This job could've been the simplest I'd ever performed. Everything had fallen into place perfectly without me having to get my hands dirty, so why was I here in the middle of the night with my target bandaged up and resting quietly in my bedroll? Link x Male Sheik, AU
1. Prologue

**AWOL**

**Hitomi Hyuga**

**Prologue**

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_That's it, I'm dead. She'll kill me when she finds out._

I paced back and forth in front of the little fire I'd built, watching my flickering shadow dance across the ground. My thoughts raced with the possibilities of what could happen to me. What was I thinking? This job could've been the simplest I'd ever performed; in fact, my job was practically done for me when he'd toppled off the side of the mountain path. All I would've had to do is go check on him and ensure that he was dead, or at least would have been later if he was incapacitated. And incapacitated he certainly was: a compound fracture of the left shin and being rendered unconscious surely would've spelled his doom down in the ditch he fell into. Not many travelers go by this pass because of the perilous narrow road, so there likely wouldn't have been anyone to see him down there and rescue him, and it's not like he could call out for help. Everything had fallen into place perfectly without me having to get my hands dirty, so why was I here in the middle of the night with my target bandaged up and resting quietly in my bedroll?

There was something about the way my heart lurched as I had watched him fall to his potential death; something told me that this wasn't the way for him to go. Perhaps it was the gentleman in me that decided that, if he was going to die, it was going to be in a more humane manner than lying mangled in a ditch barely clinging onto life. I might've been an assassin, but I assured that my targets died with dignity.

He stirred in his sleep, a pained look etched onto his face. I had given him some whiskey I found among his belongings; with no potions, all I could do was dull his suffering until I could get him somewhere safe. But now the booze was wearing off and the pain was coming back. I couldn't bear to imagine the headache he must've had. In hindsight, letting him sleep for so long after possibly concussing himself was not my best idea, but he was not ready to wake up yet. His leg injury was definitely going to keep him from going anywhere for a while. My best option was to wait until he woke up then let him watch over the campsite while I looked for a town nearby where I could procure some proper medical gear.

I shook my head. _How can I think about saving his life so calmly? I was supposed to KILL him, given direct orders from the queen._ For the love of the goddesses, I did not want to think about what the queen might say. I have seen what happens to those who defy her, and I would not wish that kind of treatment on my worst enemy. And once she found out what I'd done, and she definitely would, my fate would be far worse than any I had ever witnessed. Part of me wanted to just leave him lying in the woods; even though I had staunched his bleeding, he was still impaired by the broken and only partially-reset left shin. If some wild animal were to come along, he wouldn't be able to run away or defend himself. The job would be done and the queen would never have to know about my moment of disloyalty. It may not have been as humane as poisoning him, but it was effective.

Again, something I can't explain stopped me from doing just that. I continued to think about abandoning him even as I wiped the sweat from his brow. I imagined returning to the castle and reporting a job well done to the queen as I lifted up his head and tipped more whiskey into his mouth and tried to induce swallowing. I didn't know what was keeping me from acting on my instincts, but I knew that something extraordinary had to have been making me disobey the person to whom I owed my life.

_To be continued..._

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**And there's the prologue! This has been in the works for a while and I'm going to go ahead and post it bit by bit. The next chapter will be longer!**

**Favorite and review! Let me know if you want to see more! **

**H. H.**


	2. Chapter 1

**AWOL**

**Hitomi Hyuga**

**Chapter 1**

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"An emergency, you say?"

I nodded and explained my situation to the doctor. Even in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, there appeared to be an experienced doctor available. He was an older gentleman with a pointed goatee and flecks of gray in his black hair. A bit stern-looking, but he seemed to understand my plight and offered me a medical kit and a horse to carry him back. I told him I couldn't accept anything less than a horse and cart, as his patient wouldn't be able to steady himself on horseback.

"Are you trying to rob me, son? I've only just met you and you're already asking an awful lot. Quite the nerve you have."

"Sir, I'm begging you. If I don't get him here as soon as possible, he could die."

"I could very well need my cart while you're away. I could be needed for a home visit or an emergency. What then?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose; there was no reasoning with the common folk of Hyrule. This wasn't the first time I had been forced to interact with the peasantry, and they were notoriously stubborn. Then again, they all knew who I was, and that always put me in an awkward position. The only saving grace with this doctor was that I was keeping my hood up and my hair over my eyes as much as possible. Now that I think about it, he had every right to be distrustful of me.

"How fast do you think you can get him here?"

"It took me two hours to get here on foot. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should take less time than that."

He sighed and removed his spectacles from their perch on the tip of his nose. "If you can make it quick, I'll loan you the horse and cart. Be careful of the narrow roads, and try not to jostle him around too much on the ride back. I'll send a medical kit with you just in case."

"What about potions?"

"No, no potions. If you give him potion before I can treat him, his leg won't be reset properly and will probably heal wrong. Just give him medicine for his pain and leave the doctoring to me, so as not to cripple him."

I clasped my hands together and bowed deeply to show my gratitude. "I am forever in your debt." I reached into my wallet and placed a red rupee on the front counter. "This is for your trouble; I'll pay all of his fees when you're done treating him." The man waved his hand impatiently and shooed me out the front door, following close behind. He then hitched up the cart for me and sent me on my way.

I'd been on the road at a comfortable trot for about forty minutes when the scenery began to look more familiar. There was no doubt that I'd make it back to the doctor before my target could either have his injuries get infected or, goddesses forbid, hurt himself even more. I had another moment of realization of what I was doing; taking him to a doctor was risky enough for potentially revealing my identity to the townspeople, but if any of them were to send word to the queen about what I was doing and who I was with, I would likely lose my head. All I could do is keep my hood up and my eyes hidden, as well as avoid any unnecessary interactions with anyone besides the doctor. I knew that what I was doing was crazy, but there was a small part of me that seemed to think I was doing the right thing. At this point, that was all that was keeping me going.

Within the hour, I found myself at the same ditch my target had fallen down. I left the horse and cart on the narrow road; I was blocking the path, yes, but what else was I supposed to do? I stumbled down the steep slope and made my way into the campsite where I'd left him. Embers were all that remained of the fire and, to my surprise, my target was sitting upright in the bedroll, eyeing me warily.

"So you came back," he said.

"You sound surprised," I answered. I'd left him a note scrawled in charcoal on a bandage telling him where I'd gone and that I would return for him. It was more of a precaution, as I didn't expect him to wake up before I returned.

"Well it's not every day a killer saves another man's life," he scoffed. "I was wondering why you'd left me a note saying you'd come back when I was so sure you wouldn't, once I knew it was you."

"How did you know it was me before you saw me? For all you know, I could've just been a kind benefactor saving the life of a poor, stupid traveler who couldn't watch his step."

He patted the bedroll. "This is far too nice for an ordinary do-gooder. Only royalty would sleep in something this nice." To be fair, it was a very nice bedroll. The queen may have been cruel, but I often benefitted from her fine taste. "You were sent here to kill me, weren't you?"

"I still could, you know. It would save me a whole world of trouble if I did, too. Now hurry up and get out of the bedroll so I can pack it up. And hand me your things, will you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, no need to be so bossy." Getting him out of the roll proved to be a challenge; it was wrapped tightly around his body (he had much more width from muscle mass than I did) and it hurt his leg no matter which way I tried to remove it. I managed to just yank it off, causing him a lot of pain, but the job was done regardless.

"Geez, can't you be a little gentler? My leg's broken, in case you forgot." _Silly me, I must've forgotten even though I'm the one who had to try and snap your bone back into place last night. Why am I saving him again? _I rolled up the bedding, collected his belongings, sprinted up the hill, tossed the paraphernalia into the wagon, and came back down to find him clutching his leg and grimacing.

"How much does it hurt?" I asked.

"A lot."

"Do you think you can make it up the hill? It's going to hurt like hell, but it'll be worth getting to the doctor quicker. And I'll give you some medicine to relieve your pain once we make it up there."

"Why not now?"

"Oh yes, let's not only have you physically incapacitated, but mentally as well. You'd be out of your mind and probably hurt yourself even more."

He sighed. "Fine, let's get it over with. Gimme a hand, I'll hoist myself up on my good leg." One quick pull and he was standing. A little crooked, maybe, but standing nonetheless. The bandage job I'd done was barely holding out; blood was beginning to seep through the thin material.

"Okay, I'll support your right side on the way up. It's steep, but it's not impossible." _I hope…_

Suddenly we were making our way up. His hobbling was awkward to support at such a steep grade, but we were making progress little by little.

"This is a new low for me," he said. "Being helped to the doctor by a notorious murderer."

"Do you want this notorious murderer to change his mind? Because I'm going to be honest with you, the thought has crossed my mind." We were about halfway up at this point. "It would put you out of your misery and save my ass in more ways than one."

"You keep saying that, so why don't you do it?"

"You want to live, don't you? Imagine that as a way to die: alone in a ditch with a mangled leg."

"Alright, you've made your point. Let's keep moving-_augh_!"

One misstep and he was on his back, my grasp on his arm the only thing keeping him from rolling back down the hill. He howled in pain. "Hang on!" I yelled. Mustering all the strength I could, I pulled him toward me and wrapped my arm around his middle. My hood slipped off of my head, but I didn't even notice. I failed to see the point of hiding my face from him seeing as he already knew who I was. "Come on, I need you to work with me here. Bear it for just a little longer." With a little coaxing, I got him standing on his good leg again. "You can see the cart from here, look."

"Shut up and get me up there before I fall again!" he growled. His face was a dark, angry red with tears streaming down his cheeks. My stomach dropped when I looked down at his injured leg; there was definitely more blood seeping through the bandages.

_Baby steps, that's all it takes. _One step at a time, we slowly descended up the incline until we finally reached the horse and cart. He tried to collapse right there on the road, but I spurred him on to climb into the back of the cart. Once he was safely secured, albeit in tremendous pain, I rummaged through the medical kit for something to ease his suffering a little bit. The doctor, bless his heart, had the good sense to send me off with morphine and several clean syringes and needles. I made a mental note to give the man a good tip once this was all over.

I prepared a solution and showed it to him. "This will make your pain go away for a while. You want me to give it to you?" He nodded eagerly. I got closer to him. "I will only give it to you if you swear not to tell anyone who I am or what I do. I still have very good reason not to let you live, and I am going against my better judgment in keeping you alive. If you so much as breathe a word to anybody about me, I will see to it that your remaining days are a living hell. Is that understood?" His eyes grew as wide as saucers, but he nodded again and reached for the syringe. _To think this child was insulting me just a few minutes ago. I guess things change when there are opiates involved. _I cleaned up his arm, tightened a bandage around it as a makeshift tourniquet, and administered the drug. Within the next few minutes, we were ready to move along.

Though I had made very serious threats against him, I doubted my own ability to follow through with them. Even he wasn't stupid enough to turn in the person who was saving his life, notorious assassin or not. My mind was no longer plagued with thoughts of what punishment could await me once the queen discovered my act of treason; I was far too relieved that the man I had been pursuing, the man whom I was supposed to kill, seemed to be safe and able to make a full recovery with the proper treatment. I shouldn't have been so happy, but I was for reasons I didn't fully comprehend. Little did I know the extent of the impact he would have on my life.

_To be continued..._

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**And there's the first chapter! How'd I do? Review!**

**-H. H.  
**


	3. Chapter 2

**AWOL**

**Chapter 2**

**Hitomi Hyuga**

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_He has some odd decorations on the wall for a doctor, _I thought. Framed pictographs of plants and pressed leaves and flowers covered almost the entire wall. The small shelf by the front desk was stacked with books on herbalism and various plant encyclopedias. I never would have assumed that a physician would have such an interest in botany. Then again, maybe he brewed his own medicine from plants he found. I suppose I always assumed that potion brewing was more of a specialty, like the old hag who ran the potion shop back in Kakariko Village. Come to think of it, I don't even remember if there was a doctor in Kakariko. I only lived there when I was very young, so many of my memories about the place were very unclear.

I paced back and forth in the main room of his office, waiting for him to tell me the results of his treatment. My subconscious continued to remind me how absurd it was for me to be worried about him, but I had long abandoned the notion of having to kill him. There was no turning back now.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the doctor emerged from the back room and removed his surgical mask. I gave him an anxious, questioning look. He smiled. "Your boy is going to be just fine. I reset the leg and pumped him full of red potion. Even threw in a little of my own home-brewed medicine for good measure. Both the leg and his head injury should make a full recovery within the next day or so. Thank the goddesses for modern medicine, am I right?"

I sighed. "That's a relief. I was beginning to worry that I didn't get him here in time."

"You most certainly did get him here in time! If you'd waited much longer, he might've gotten an infection. But all is well; his wounds are properly dressed and he's sleeping it off in the back."

"How much do I owe you, sir?"

He waved his hand. "Nothing more. The twenty rupees from earlier will cover his expenses. And don't worry about the cart; you returned it in the same condition I loaned it to you, so there's no charge for that."

"I really can't thank you enough for your kindness. Not many people would have listened to the plea of a complete stranger."

"Ah, well I could see you were desperate, I guess. Anyway, it was no trouble at all. You're welcome to stay a bit - I'll put on some tea for you." Now what kind of person would I be to turn down his hospitality? The man was offering me tea, for goodness's sake, I'm not an animal.

"So tell me, what's in that home-brew of yours?" After seeing all the plant paraphernalia, I was genuinely curious.

He put the kettle on the wood-burning stove. "Oh, just a few additives I've studied over the years. You'd be amazed at the flora outside of Hyrule; they're nothing special on their own, really, but the effects they have when coupled with existing potions are very effective in healing. Our patient may have to walk on a crutch for a few days, but that leg will heal much faster than it would have on red potion alone."

"That's incredible. But if your herbs come from outside Hyrule, how do you get them? I'm sure you're busy with patients and whatnot."

His sharp, angled face seemed to soften as he thought about it. He set down the kettle and poured me a cup of tea. "Ah, I have my greenhouse out back. I've been able to cultivate my most-needed specimens right here in Hyrule. Any that I can't grow myself I send my apprentices to collect. Sometimes I'll even go get them myself if I've trained them enough to leave them to take care of my patients."

"I may return here some day and research your work, with your permission of course. It sounds fascinating."

"Well why not now? Seems you have the most opportune time to do it, don't you think?"

I sighed. "We can't stay in one place for too long."

"On the run from something?"

"…yeah, something like that."

"It wouldn't happen to be Queen Zelda, would it?"

I nearly choked on my tea. _No way, how did he know? I'm keeping my identity secret…oh no. _I felt the top of my head only to touch my blond hair. I instantly remembered catching him as he had fallen down the hill and losing my hood in the process. My face and my ruby-red eyes were exposed to the world. There was no denying to anyone who I truly was now.

The doctor nodded. "I had my suspicions when you wouldn't take your cloak off this morning. And you came back in such a rush that you must've forgotten."

I stood up, ready to bolt off in case he was going to do something that could get me caught (in my frenzied state of mind, I hadn't really thought about what he might actually do, but I was prepared for an ambush). He put a hand up to stop me. "Relax, I won't tell anybody."

"How can I be sure? I've only just met you, so I don't know your motives."

"It's not often that the royal assassin saves the life of a known bandit, is it? His face is on every government wanted poster in the country, and well, your kind isn't exactly common. No offense."

"None taken," I said numbly, staring at him in confusion. "But why should I trust you not to turn us in? I'm sure there'd be a big reward in it for you. As of now, I'm a traitor, and I'm sure my head as well as his would both fetch you a hefty price."

He shrugged and poured himself another cup of tea. "Son, I don't know if you know this, but her reign isn't exactly favored among the people. And you clearly don't side with her either, since you're risking torture or worse for saving that boy's life."

_Don't remind me,_ I thought bitterly. I sat back down and went back to my tea. "I never pictured myself leaving, but here I am on the opposite side of the spectrum."

"You know what you need to do? You need to leave Hyrule as soon as you can," said the doctor. "She'll hunt you down if you stick around. You take that boy in there with you, you pick a direction, and you keep going until you're far away."

"I suppose I don't have a choice," I said. _Even if I did flee the country, she'd probably still find me. But right now it's our best bet. _"How soon can he be discharged?"

"Let's say tomorrow night. We'll give him the rest of today and all day tomorrow to let the potion do its job. He should be up and walking well enough to travel by then. I'm afraid I have to keep my horse and cart, but I'll send you with another medical kit for emergencies. After that, you're both on your own."

I stood up and bowed out of respect, one of the gestures I use to keep my heritage alive. "There's no way I can ever repay you for your kindness, but I promise that one day we'll come back and try to make it up to you."

"There's no need for that, but I would be glad to hear from you both once in a while. Consider that your debt: send me a letter every now and then telling me how things are going."

I smiled and sat down. "We'll be sure to do that as soon as we're across the border."

He returned my smile, which was suddenly followed by a puzzled look. "Come to think of it, I don't even know your first name. I'd like something to properly address you by when I write you back."

"I wouldn't recommend that, just in case Her Majesty intercepts our correspondence." I knew she would, too, having seen it happen before with potential conspirators. She knew no boundaries when it came to getting something she wanted.

"I see. Well I don't want to put you in any danger, then."

In a world that had been nothing but cruel, his kindness felt like a gift from the goddesses, especially when civilians were so apt to be distrustful of me. This felt like the beginning of a new epoch in my life, and I was ready to move forward and leave my past behind with my new companion. This doctor, whom I'd known for less than a day, gave me a new lease on life. I knew the least I could do for him.

"…Sheik. My name is Sheik."

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**Chapter 2 is officially up! Hope everyone enjoys it! Review please!**


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